This invention relates to a loader attachment for farm loaders of the front loading type. Front loaders or front loading tractors are usually provided with a bucket having forwardly facing opening which is used for material manipulation. While such a bucket is useful when working with loose granular material, larger agglomerate material, or singular still larger objects which need only be pushed to a desired location, the bucket is not able to satisfactorily manipulate or lift a large load such as a cylindrical bale of fibrous material. Such bales, including hay bales, are often several feet in diameter and half again as many feet in length. Until the present time, no apparatus was available which would enable a front loading tractor to manipulate, lift, transport, and dump a hay bale of the cylindrical type.
While it is desirable to provide an apparatus for accomplishing the above-described functions, the original functions of the front loader must not be lost. That is, an implement which will allow cylindrically shaped hay bales to be manipulated, lifted, transported, and dumped must be readily detachable to allow the front loader to operate with other load material. The implement must be able to be mounted and demounted easily by a single person. Further, the mounting must be such that it can be accomplished in a minimum amount of time.
Previous attempts have been made to modify front loaders for various modes of operation. U.S. Pat. No. 3,795,331 to Guest shows a fork lift converter attachment for a front end loader. The device comprises a pair of vertical bars pivotally attached to the uppermost extremity of a bucket, and horizontal fork elements are attached to the vertical bars at the lower ends thereof. The device is intended for lifting palletized loads and provides load support only through the action of the fork elements. U.S. Pat. No. 3,421,642 to Carter shows a similar device which operates in a similar manner. Again, the lifting elements are intended to be used with a pallet and their location and method of attachment to the load bucket precludes use with a bale of fibrous material. U.S. Pat. No. 3,097,439 to Calkin shows a scarifier attachment for a bucket-equipped earth moving machine. The scarifier element is mounted to swing in and out of operating position. When not in operating position, the device presents a forward facing tooth located above the bucket. This tooth, however, or a plurality of such teeth, would be ineffective in piercing and providing a supporting force to a bale of fibrous material.